SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Prior to the summit in Vietnam this weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Germany for the G20 summit in July (Photo: Presidential Administration of Russia)
Trump Widely Rebuked for Remarks About Alleged Election Interference by Russians
Despite conclusions from U.S. intelligence agencies, Trump says Putin denied meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and "he means it." The Kremlin, meanwhile, says the conversation never even happened.
Nov 11, 2017
U.S. President Donald Trump was widely rebuked on Saturday after telling reporters he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims that the Russian government did not meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election--despite conclusions from U.S. intelligence agencies that Russians tried to influence the election to favor Trump.
After Trump's comments started making headlines Saturday morning, the Kremlin denied that the two leaders had even discussed the election allegations during their brief weekend meetings about Syria and ISIS, which took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Danang, Vietnam.
After leaving the summit on Saturday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: "He said he didn't meddle--I asked him again," referring to his meetings with Putin. "You can only ask so many times. I just asked him again. He said he absolutely did not meddle in our election."
"Every time he sees me he says 'I didn't do that,' and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it," Trump added, emphasizing to reporters that he hopes improve the United States' relations with Russian government, and suggesting the allegations could be a barrier to that. "I think he is very insulted by it," Trump said, "which is not a good thing for our country."
Trump also dismissed conclusions by U.S. intelligence agencies that the Russian government interfered with the election, sharply criticizing former CIA director John Brennan, former director of national intelligence James R. Clapper, and James B. Comey, the former FBI director Trump fired.
"I mean, give me a break--they're political hacks," Trump said, reportedly calling the allegations an "artificial Democratic hit job."
In a surprising rebuff of the president's claims, the CIA said on Saturday that Trump-appointed agency director Mike Pompeo stands by the intelligence community's initial conclusions.
"The director stands by and has always stood by the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment entitled: Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections," the CIA said in a statement. "The intelligence assessment with regard to Russian election meddling has not changed."
The president's comments come shortly after special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into allegations that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government heated up late last month, with a first round of federal charges filed against various campaign staffers.
Trump's statements elicited frustration, condemnation, and even some sarcasm, with Atlantic writer Julia Ioffe remarking, "In my years of reporting on Russia, I too have found that if you ask a former KGB agent an accusatory question about his actions, he will generally be straight with you," referring to Putin's past job with the Soviet Union's main security agency.
\u201cIn my years of reporting on Russia, I too have found that if you ask a former KGB agent an accusatory question about his actions, he will generally be straight with you. https://t.co/V3L6kAKEDn\u201d— Julia Ioffe (@Julia Ioffe) 1510424894
The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington also opted for sarcasm, tweeting:
\u201cWell if he said they didn't do it, we have to believe him...\nhttps://t.co/aKk8dwqQuZ\u201d— Citizens for Ethics (@Citizens for Ethics) 1510432305
Lawmakers, reporters, human rights experts, and other critics also weighed in online:
\u201cFor your #saturdaymorning reading here is the intelligence report on Russian hacking that TRUMP'S OWN CIA DIRECTOR SAYS IS TRUE. https://t.co/7uf537tMlR\u201d— Ted Lieu (@Ted Lieu) 1510431257
\u201cAmerica needs a watchdog to defend our democracy, not a lapdog for Putin. https://t.co/3rL9feJNo1\u201d— Senator Jeff Merkley (@Senator Jeff Merkley) 1510412600
\u201cCIA chief Mike Pompeo: Putin attacked 2016 election.\nDNI Dan Coats: Putin attacked 2016 election.\nFBI director Christopher Wray: Putin attacked 2016 election.\nNSA head Mike Rogers: Putin attacked 2016 election.\nPutin: I did not attack 2016 election.\nTrump: I believe Putin.\u201d— David Corn (@David Corn) 1510410819
\u201c6. So either Trump really believes that Putin is trustworthy on this topic or Putin has him over a barrel or both. None of it is good for America. https://t.co/tfvomFWcDz\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1510428972
\u201cIf Trump believes Putin, I suppose it\u2019s for the best that no one believes Trump.\u201d— Garry Kasparov (@Garry Kasparov) 1510423636
On January 20th, it begins...
Political revenge. Mass deportations. Project 2025. Unfathomable corruption. Attacks on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Pardons for insurrectionists. An all-out assault on democracy. Republicans in Congress are scrambling to give Trump broad new powers to strip the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit he doesn’t like by declaring it a “terrorist-supporting organization.” Trump has already begun filing lawsuits against news outlets that criticize him. At Common Dreams, we won’t back down, but we must get ready for whatever Trump and his thugs throw at us. Our Year-End campaign is our most important fundraiser of the year. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. By donating today, please help us fight the dangers of a second Trump presidency. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
U.S. President Donald Trump was widely rebuked on Saturday after telling reporters he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims that the Russian government did not meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election--despite conclusions from U.S. intelligence agencies that Russians tried to influence the election to favor Trump.
After Trump's comments started making headlines Saturday morning, the Kremlin denied that the two leaders had even discussed the election allegations during their brief weekend meetings about Syria and ISIS, which took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Danang, Vietnam.
After leaving the summit on Saturday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: "He said he didn't meddle--I asked him again," referring to his meetings with Putin. "You can only ask so many times. I just asked him again. He said he absolutely did not meddle in our election."
"Every time he sees me he says 'I didn't do that,' and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it," Trump added, emphasizing to reporters that he hopes improve the United States' relations with Russian government, and suggesting the allegations could be a barrier to that. "I think he is very insulted by it," Trump said, "which is not a good thing for our country."
Trump also dismissed conclusions by U.S. intelligence agencies that the Russian government interfered with the election, sharply criticizing former CIA director John Brennan, former director of national intelligence James R. Clapper, and James B. Comey, the former FBI director Trump fired.
"I mean, give me a break--they're political hacks," Trump said, reportedly calling the allegations an "artificial Democratic hit job."
In a surprising rebuff of the president's claims, the CIA said on Saturday that Trump-appointed agency director Mike Pompeo stands by the intelligence community's initial conclusions.
"The director stands by and has always stood by the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment entitled: Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections," the CIA said in a statement. "The intelligence assessment with regard to Russian election meddling has not changed."
The president's comments come shortly after special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into allegations that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government heated up late last month, with a first round of federal charges filed against various campaign staffers.
Trump's statements elicited frustration, condemnation, and even some sarcasm, with Atlantic writer Julia Ioffe remarking, "In my years of reporting on Russia, I too have found that if you ask a former KGB agent an accusatory question about his actions, he will generally be straight with you," referring to Putin's past job with the Soviet Union's main security agency.
\u201cIn my years of reporting on Russia, I too have found that if you ask a former KGB agent an accusatory question about his actions, he will generally be straight with you. https://t.co/V3L6kAKEDn\u201d— Julia Ioffe (@Julia Ioffe) 1510424894
The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington also opted for sarcasm, tweeting:
\u201cWell if he said they didn't do it, we have to believe him...\nhttps://t.co/aKk8dwqQuZ\u201d— Citizens for Ethics (@Citizens for Ethics) 1510432305
Lawmakers, reporters, human rights experts, and other critics also weighed in online:
\u201cFor your #saturdaymorning reading here is the intelligence report on Russian hacking that TRUMP'S OWN CIA DIRECTOR SAYS IS TRUE. https://t.co/7uf537tMlR\u201d— Ted Lieu (@Ted Lieu) 1510431257
\u201cAmerica needs a watchdog to defend our democracy, not a lapdog for Putin. https://t.co/3rL9feJNo1\u201d— Senator Jeff Merkley (@Senator Jeff Merkley) 1510412600
\u201cCIA chief Mike Pompeo: Putin attacked 2016 election.\nDNI Dan Coats: Putin attacked 2016 election.\nFBI director Christopher Wray: Putin attacked 2016 election.\nNSA head Mike Rogers: Putin attacked 2016 election.\nPutin: I did not attack 2016 election.\nTrump: I believe Putin.\u201d— David Corn (@David Corn) 1510410819
\u201c6. So either Trump really believes that Putin is trustworthy on this topic or Putin has him over a barrel or both. None of it is good for America. https://t.co/tfvomFWcDz\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1510428972
\u201cIf Trump believes Putin, I suppose it\u2019s for the best that no one believes Trump.\u201d— Garry Kasparov (@Garry Kasparov) 1510423636
U.S. President Donald Trump was widely rebuked on Saturday after telling reporters he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims that the Russian government did not meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election--despite conclusions from U.S. intelligence agencies that Russians tried to influence the election to favor Trump.
After Trump's comments started making headlines Saturday morning, the Kremlin denied that the two leaders had even discussed the election allegations during their brief weekend meetings about Syria and ISIS, which took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Danang, Vietnam.
After leaving the summit on Saturday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: "He said he didn't meddle--I asked him again," referring to his meetings with Putin. "You can only ask so many times. I just asked him again. He said he absolutely did not meddle in our election."
"Every time he sees me he says 'I didn't do that,' and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it," Trump added, emphasizing to reporters that he hopes improve the United States' relations with Russian government, and suggesting the allegations could be a barrier to that. "I think he is very insulted by it," Trump said, "which is not a good thing for our country."
Trump also dismissed conclusions by U.S. intelligence agencies that the Russian government interfered with the election, sharply criticizing former CIA director John Brennan, former director of national intelligence James R. Clapper, and James B. Comey, the former FBI director Trump fired.
"I mean, give me a break--they're political hacks," Trump said, reportedly calling the allegations an "artificial Democratic hit job."
In a surprising rebuff of the president's claims, the CIA said on Saturday that Trump-appointed agency director Mike Pompeo stands by the intelligence community's initial conclusions.
"The director stands by and has always stood by the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment entitled: Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections," the CIA said in a statement. "The intelligence assessment with regard to Russian election meddling has not changed."
The president's comments come shortly after special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into allegations that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government heated up late last month, with a first round of federal charges filed against various campaign staffers.
Trump's statements elicited frustration, condemnation, and even some sarcasm, with Atlantic writer Julia Ioffe remarking, "In my years of reporting on Russia, I too have found that if you ask a former KGB agent an accusatory question about his actions, he will generally be straight with you," referring to Putin's past job with the Soviet Union's main security agency.
\u201cIn my years of reporting on Russia, I too have found that if you ask a former KGB agent an accusatory question about his actions, he will generally be straight with you. https://t.co/V3L6kAKEDn\u201d— Julia Ioffe (@Julia Ioffe) 1510424894
The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington also opted for sarcasm, tweeting:
\u201cWell if he said they didn't do it, we have to believe him...\nhttps://t.co/aKk8dwqQuZ\u201d— Citizens for Ethics (@Citizens for Ethics) 1510432305
Lawmakers, reporters, human rights experts, and other critics also weighed in online:
\u201cFor your #saturdaymorning reading here is the intelligence report on Russian hacking that TRUMP'S OWN CIA DIRECTOR SAYS IS TRUE. https://t.co/7uf537tMlR\u201d— Ted Lieu (@Ted Lieu) 1510431257
\u201cAmerica needs a watchdog to defend our democracy, not a lapdog for Putin. https://t.co/3rL9feJNo1\u201d— Senator Jeff Merkley (@Senator Jeff Merkley) 1510412600
\u201cCIA chief Mike Pompeo: Putin attacked 2016 election.\nDNI Dan Coats: Putin attacked 2016 election.\nFBI director Christopher Wray: Putin attacked 2016 election.\nNSA head Mike Rogers: Putin attacked 2016 election.\nPutin: I did not attack 2016 election.\nTrump: I believe Putin.\u201d— David Corn (@David Corn) 1510410819
\u201c6. So either Trump really believes that Putin is trustworthy on this topic or Putin has him over a barrel or both. None of it is good for America. https://t.co/tfvomFWcDz\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1510428972
\u201cIf Trump believes Putin, I suppose it\u2019s for the best that no one believes Trump.\u201d— Garry Kasparov (@Garry Kasparov) 1510423636
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.